Pumps



19% W. H. SAVAGE 3,266, 38

PUMPS Filed July 21, 1965 80 62 61; 67 as; TFELITj Fl (3. I

INVENTOP Wiiliam Hficlvoge r 3,266,438 Ice Patented August 16, 1966 3,266,438 PUMPS William H. Savage, 104 W. Shore, Richardson, Tex. Filed July 21, 1965, Ser. No. 473,629 1 Claim. (Cl. 103-255) This invention rel-ates to pumps.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pump wherein an electric discharge in a fluid filled chamber of the pump housing causes the pump to discharge fluids from the housing to an outlet thereof and take in fluid through an inlet thereof, the electric discharge being periodic to provide a periodic pumping action.

Another object is to provide a pump employing electric discharges to move fluid through a cylindrical housing and requiring only one valve for controlling the flow of fluid through the housing.

Still another object is to provide a pump having means for generating an electric discharge in a fluid filled chamber of the pump housing, the pump having valve means downstream of the chamber to prevent reverse flow into the chamber and means upstream of the chamber for creating a standing shock wave in the fluid each time an electric discharge is generated in the chamber to prevent reverse flow of fluid from the chamber.

A further object is to provide a pump having a tubular housing providing a discharge chamber, electrode means for generating electric discharges in the fluid in the pump chamber and a check valve downstream of the chamber for preventing reverse flow of liquid into the chamber, the housing providing a passage upstream of the chamber which decreases progressively in diameter toward the chamber to cause a standing shock wave to be generated inthe fluid upstream of the chamber to prevent reverse flow of liquid from the chamber.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a pump embodying the invention and a schematic diagram of a typical electric circuit for operating the pump;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the air gap switch of the electric circuit of FIGURE 1; and,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective partially sectional view of the pump.

Referring now to the drawings, the pump includes a cylindrical body or housing 11 having intern-ally threaded opposite end portions 12 and 13 in which are connectable the end portions of upstream and downstream threaded sections 14 and 15, respectively, of the flow conductor. The pump housing thus is connectable in a flow conductor to constitute a section thereof.

The longitudinal bore 18 of the pump housing has a standing or blocking wave upstream portion 19 which decreases in diameter progressively from the end of the upstream flow conductor to the upstream end of an electric discharge portion or chamber 20 of the bore. The discharge chamber is of uniform diameter and extends downstream from the annular line 21 of the juncture of the standing or blocking wave and electric discharge portions of the bore. Electrodes 23 and 24 extend through suitable hollow cylindrical insulators 26 and 27, respectively, into the discharge chamber 20.

The insulators are tubular in form and extend through suitable diametrically opposed transverse bores in the housing so that the electrodes are diametrically disposed within the housing with their faces 28 and 29 facing each other and spaced a predetermined distance to provide a spark or electric discharge gap therebetween. Although as illustrated, both electrodes are provided with an insulator to prevent an electric short through the housing, it is apparent that an insulator may be provided for the positive electrode only if desired.

The bore of the housing downstream of the discharge chamber or portion of the bore is enlarged to provide a radially extending shoulder 30 which limits inward movement of a circular wall 31. The wall 31 may be rigidly secured in the housing as by Welding or the like and is provided with a central aperture 34 which is closable by a check valve 35. The wall 31 defines the downstream end of the discharge chamber. The check valve 35 has a substantially conical seat surface 37 which is engageable with an annular seat shoulder 38 of the wall 31 to close the passage 34 thereof. The check valve is biased toward sealing engagement with the seat 38 by a spring 40 which is disposed about the stem 41 of the check valve. The upstream end of the spring engages the annular shoulder 42 of the check valve and its downstream side engages the central portion 44 of a support wall 46. Inward 'movement of the wall 46 is limited by its engagement with the annular shoulder 48.0f the housing. The check valve stem extends slidably through the central aperture 49 of the support wall which also has a plurality of apertures 50 through which fluid may flow. The support wall may be rigidly secured in the housing, as by welding or the like, or may be rigidly held against the shoulder 48 by the inner annular end surface of the downstream section 15 of the flow conductor.

When an electric discharge is produced in the discharge chamber 20 between the two electrodes 23 and 24 by a high voltage impressed across the electrodes, a shock wave having a spherical wave front is generated in the fluid in the discharge chamber. If the fluid is a liquid, any vaporization of the liquid caused by the electric discharge also creates a high pressure wave in the liquid due to the generation of gases. The shock wave and any such pressure wave propagate through the passage 18, both in upstream and downstream directions. A standing shock wave across the housing passage is generated in the fluid somewhere in the shock wave portion of the passage or bore of the housing which prevents any upstream flow |of fluid past such shock wave. The exact longitudinal location of such standing shock or blocking wave within this shock wave portion of the bore depends on such factors as the characteristics of the fluid and the angle of upstream divergence of the internal surface of the housing relative to its central longitudinal axis defining the shock Waves portion of the housing bore. This angle is preferably within the range of 7 to 35 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the bore. The shock wave traveling downstream of the port of the electric discharge, acts on the check valve 35 and it overcomes the force of the spring 40 to move the check valve downstream to open the aperture 35 in the wall 31 and allow the fluid to flow therethrough in a downstream direction. The increased pressure within the discharge chamber due to the vaporization of the fluid, if a liquid, and the generation of the shock wave tends to move the fluid volume between the electrodes and open check valve until a pressure less than the reseat pressure of the check valve is attained. As the fluid flows downstream from the electric discharge chamber, the pressure therein decreases and the spring 40 is again effective to move the check valve to its closed position. At this time also, as the valve closes to prevent flow upstream -or reverse flow of fluid into the discharge chamber 22, the shock wave collapses and the subsequent decrease in the pressure within the discharge portion causes fluid to be drawn from the upstream section 14 of the flow conductor back into the chamber to recharge it with the fluid. Fluid entering from upstream section of the fluid conduit thus recharges the discharge chamber and such repetition of the electric discharges at appropriate time intervals between the electrodes causes fluid to flow from the upstream section of the flow conductor through the pump housing to the upstream section thereof.

It Will be apparent that the pump will operate satisfactorily with only a single check valve located downstream of the point at Which electric discharges takes place in the bore of the pump housing due to the provision of the shock wave portion 19 of the bore of the housing which increases in diameter in the upstream direction from the electric discharge chamber and causes a standing shock wave to be generated in the fluid upstream of the discharge chamber which prevents upstream or reverse flow of fluid from the discharge chamber.

A schematic diagram illustrating a typical circuit for producing a discharge between the electrodes 23 and 24 is illustrated :in FIGURE 1. The circuit includes a power supply providing a high voltage high current output from a relatively low voltage input. One side of a resistance 61 is connected to one side of the power supply by means of a conductor 62. The other side of the resistance is connected to one side of a capacitance bank comprised of a series-(parallel grouping of condensers 63, 64, 65 and 66 through a conductor 67, an inductance or choke 68, and conductors 69 and 70. The other side of the capacitance bank is connected to the opposite side of the power supply 60 through the conductor 71, ground and the conductor 72. One side of the capacitance bank is connected to one electrode 75 of an air gap switch 76 by the conductors 69 and and the other side of the capacitance bank is connected to the other electrode 77 of the air gap switch by the conductor 71, ground and the conductor 77. The electrodes and 77 of the air gap switch 76 are spaced to allow electric current discharge between them when air is the dielectric therebetween. An insulating disk 80 formed of a substance having a dielectric constant considerably higher than that of the air is provided with circumferentially spaced notches 81 which define the radially outwardly extending blades 82. The insulating disk is mounted on the drive shaft 83 of an electric motor 84 which imparts rotation to the disk. The disk is so positioned that its blades move through the gap between the electrodes 75 and 77 as the disk is rotated. During the time interval that a blade of the insulating disk is between the electrodes, no electric discharge can occur thercbetween and the capacitance bank is charged by the power supply. When a blade of the disk moves away from between the electrodes and a notch thereof moves into alignment with the electrodes 75 and 77 so that only air is between the adjacent ends of the electrodes, an electric discharge or are passes between the electrodes thereby connecting the electrodes 23 and 24 of the pump 10 across the capacitance bank which discharges to cause an electric discharge or are across the gap between the electrodes 23 and 24. The motor, of course, rotates the insulating disk to cause the pump to operate at such periodic time intervals as determined by the spacing of the blades 82 4 of the insulating disk and the speed of rotation of the disk.

It will now be seen that a new and improved pump has been illustrated and described which is of very simple construction having only one moving part, the check valve 35, and that it may be used to pump or move liquids through a flow conductor in Which the ptunp housing is connected to constitute a section of such flow conductor.

It Will further be seen that the fluid flow in one direction is permitted by the check valve and is prevented in other and that the provision of the portion 19 of the bore of the housing, which increases progressively in diameter in the upstream direction, causes a stand-ing or blocking shock Wave to be generated in the liquid upstream in the fluid upstream of the electric discharge each time an electric discharge occurs in the fluid .present in the discharge chamber so that the fluid will flow only in the desired downstream direction.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, and changes in the details of the construction illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A pump including: a housing having a longitudinal bore therethrough, said housing being connectable in a flow conductor to constitute a section thereof, said longitudinal bone being defined by internal surfaces of said housing providing an intermediate chamber of uniform diameter and a bore portion which extends longitudinally in an upstream direction from the upstream end of said chamber and increases progressively in diameter in said upstream direction; means for producing an electric discharge in said chamber; and means operable by shock and pressure Waves produced by an electric discharge in the fluid in said chamber for allowing fluid to flow from said chamber in a downstream direction and for preventing flow of fluid into said chamber in an upstream direction, said last mentioned means including a check valve assembly having a wall extending across said bore and defining the downstream end of said chamber, said wall having an aperture, a valve member movable longitudinally in said bore closing said aperture when in an upstream position in said bore, and mean-s biasing said valve member in an upstream direction, said valve member being movable in a downstream direction to open said aperture when an electric discharge is produced in said chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,141,296 7/1964 Jacobs ct al. 103-1 3,185,106 5/1965 Smith 103l 3,194,162 7/1965 Williams 103l LAURENCE V. EFNER, Primary Examiner, 

